Can't Do It
by Authorwithoutaquill
Summary: Rose says things she didn't mean. The Doctor doesn't let her apologize.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** _This was written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme: Never Again. It is the first story in a series of works all based on weekly drabble prompts. Currently I have 5 of them written and plan to continue the verse, with weekly updates. Thanks for reading, and if you have a moment to spare, please leave a review._

She was watching him through the crack in the door. She didn't mean to say all the things she said. Really, she didn't. The words just slipped out. No taking them back now. Never again, she said. Never again. His blue eyes snapped to her face for a second, mouth half open, hurt in his gaze, like he'd been slapped. Then he turned and left. She didn't stop him. Why didn't she stop him? She could hear his black boots echoing on the TARDIS floor as he made his way to his bedroom. She didn't hear the door close, but she felt it slide shut. Felt it somewhere in the middle of her chest like an iron fist.

She stood by the console and tried to think of something that would make it better. Her mind was blank. When the tears finally came she could hear her own voice in her head shouting, "How could you just leave them? They were asking for your help! They were innocent. I've had enough, Doctor. I'm not travelling with you anymore. I can't do it. I won't do it. Never again!"

She shuddered and bit her nail. Even now, five days later, the words made her cringe. It was a mistake, giving into the hurt like that. She was upset, and shaken, and angry and looking for someone to blame. The Doctor was the only one there…

They hadn't spoken since. Well, of course they did, but not like they used to, not with any kind of ease. He grunted out one word responses to her questions and didn't look at her anymore. She tried to apologize, but he cut her off every time. Brushed her off like an annoying insect. Is that what she was to him? She would have found it a ridiculous notion a week ago, but now Rose wasn't sure.

At present she was standing behind the door leading to the console room, watching as the lights flickered across his face, feeling utterly powerless. They were going to land soon. She knew his movements well enough by now to know what the crease in his brow meant. She just wished she knew where they were heading.

As the TARDIS put them down gently, the fear rose up in her chest again, clutching at her lungs, forcing her to gasp, shaking her frame slightly as the Doctor moved around the console. She heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "Earth" and her stomach dropped like a stone. She knew this was coming, yet held onto that last little ray of hope that she might be wrong. But now she knew she was right all along, and the realization filled her with more dread than she thought herself capable of feeling. The Doctor was taking her home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Ice. Second installment in my drabble series._

The playground was covered in ice. All of it. The slide, the swing, the pavement - everything was frozen, sleeping peacefully under a layer of frost. Rose felt frozen too. She had been sitting on the park bench too long, she knew; couldn't feel her legs anymore. She wouldn't get up though. The cold numbed the pain, and she didn't move a finger as the wind blew hail in her face. She couldn't feel anything. She didn't want to feel anything.

"Rose? Rose!"

Mum. It was mum and Mickey, she thought. Looking for me.

She turned her head. It didn't matter. They wouldn't find her here, wouldn't think to look. She never came here, not since she broke up with Jimmy. Bad memories swirled around the frozen grass and she inhaled sharply as the ghosts surrounded her.

The past. It was all in the past now. It couldn't hurt her.

Only it could. Not Jimmy, not the pictures of their first night together, the ghosts of non-too-gentle touches, no. It wouldn't hurt because she knew better by now. She learnt. She knew how to stand up and face the monsters. She wasn't afraid.

But she was cold, and sad and lonely - or used to be, before the cold set in. She just felt… numb now.

When they stepped out of the TARDIS she was too shocked, too scared, too guilt-ridden to say anything. She just stared at the Doctor's back, marching after him and his black leather jacket. She wanted to reach out and grab it like a lost child, but was too afraid to move. When they headed for her flat she felt sick. This was it, he was going to leave her and she couldn't even say a word to convince him otherwise.

He didn't say goodbye. He opened the door for her, walked her up the stairs, stopped in front of her apartment and shoved his hands in his pocket. He looked up once, met her eyes for a brief moment: they were vulnerable and guilty and apologetic, and then cold and strange and distant. He turned on his heels and he left.

Rose stood in front of the door, staring after him, not believing what had just happened. She'd still be standing there if her mom wouldn't have needed to take out the garbage. She hugged her, ushered her inside, sat her down in front of the telly, called Mickey, called her friends, called everyone. It wasn't until Rose's first quiet sob that she realized something was wrong.

Mickey came later, but neither of them could comfort her, nor get her to talk about what happened. She was a ghost - she felt like one. She wandered around the house for a week before deciding she needed some fresh air. It wasn't a conscious decision, really. She saw the snow falling through the window and before she could even think about what she was doing, her coat was in her hands, and her feet were taking her down the stairs.

And now here she was. Out in the cold, still not able to think, still not numb enough to not feel the pain. Maybe it would go away with time. She smiled sadly. With time… The Doctor went away with time. Leaving her here.

Her head whipped around as she heard a familiar wheezing sound. Little shooting pains stabbed her neck and shoulders from the sudden movement, but she didn't care. She jumped up and was running like her life depended on it, running to catch the source of the sound. As she turned the corner she grinned to herself - her life did depend on it. But it was alright now. The Doctor was coming back. He was coming back for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Shiver. Third installment of my drabble series. In which the Doctor and Rose meet again._

Shivering. She was shivering. Her whole body was a bundle of nerves, of interconnected sharp little pains and warm, blinding explosions at the back of her brain. The Tardis was already there - fully materialized, on the street corner, behind the bins and out of sight. The door was closed though.

She had been worried; still was worried about how she was going to face the Doctor when - no, _if_ \- they were to see each other again. And now, standing there in the cold, breaths coming out in pale little puffs, feet dancing nervously in the snow, she realized she had no words.

No words to tell him sorry, none to beg him to take her back into his time machine, not one to express how much he meant to her. She tried to force thoughts into her brain, tried to focus, but the door creaked open and her heart was bursting with anticipation, joy and anxiety, and she had time no more.

His face appeared first, his limbs and torso following in a disjointed tumble after. He all but fell out of the Tardis, surprise evident on his features when he saw her. How long has it been for him? How long was he gone? A week for her - an excruciating, numb and cold 7 days in her mother's flat. But how long for him?

Before she could ask, before she could even open her mouth, he called out sharply, "Rose?!"

He strode towards her, forceful steps that made the snow wail under his boots. "What are you doing here?"

The tears came unbidden, flowing down her face in cascades, silent sobs shaking her whole frame. He didn't come to her. He shoved his hands in his pockets instead and looked down awkwardly, glancing up every now and then, tentative little peaks that made Rose cry harder. When she was finally able to speak, all she asked in a small voice was, "You didn't come for me." She said it like a statement, but in reality it was a question she was desperately hoping the Doctor would answer. She didn't look at him.

If she had she could have seen the tortured glimmer in his eyes, the tears that threatened to overflow them, the love that shined out. But she didn't look up.

"No," it was all she could hear, and the numbness returned. She barely registered the rest. "There has been unusual readings coming from 21st century London, so I came back to investigate. I did not mean to run into you. I chose the street at random, really." He stumbled on the last words and wondered just how clumsy he could still be around Rose, but didn't continue.

She was standing there, looking at the ground and it was breaking his hearts to see her like that. He wanted to go to her, wrap her in his arms, but he'd forgotten how. He'd forgotten the moment the "never again" left her mouth. It hurt him, yes. But it was nothing compared to the realization that he'd hurt Rose. He swore never to do that again, and if dropping her off was the price to pay, he wouldn't be in debt any longer.

As it turned out he wasn't so good on the not hurting her part. She was clearly upset - _no_ , more than upset - she seemed broken. Maybe she would be happier with him, but how could he take her when he couldn't promise to keep safe? To keep her well? He didn't do domestics. And he didn't know how else to ease the pain of their misadventures. He sighed and shook his head. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"I don't know… Maybe… you could help me?"

Rose's head whipped up and she cringed as the pain in her neck returned. She studies his face for a bit - it was the same guarded, carefully hopeful, anticipating a negative answer nonetheless expression she saw on him when he first invited her to travel with him. He wasn't asking her to come back though, was he? Maybe he was saying goodbye? Taking her on one last adventure before they parted forever?

Rose didn't know and was too scared to consider. In her current state, she couldn't bring herself to care much either. She nodded and brushed her tears away, swinging her hands shyly and finally giving the Doctor one of her tongue-between-teeth smiles.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Snow. Fourth installment of my drabble series. In which Rose encounters the Weeping Angels and gets into more trouble than she thought possible._

The snow was falling peacefully around her, giant, pale flakes dancing on the breeze. She wondered when was the last time she truly enjoyed it - building a snowman, having a snowball fight, making snow angels. It must have been ages. She couldn't remember.

Brain fog, that's what it was - an almighty haze that smothered all coherent thought in pain and confusion. They still hadn't talked. Not about anything important, not about where she was gonna go after this.

She found her tongue halfway through their adventure, started asking questions, chatting away about Sally and how they were going to fix the problem. But she stayed very far from the subject that mattered most, only daring to glance at the Doctor's face once in a while. She would have liked nothing better than to stare at him for as long as their adventure lasted, but she was very sure it would just annoy him - maybe to the point of getting rid of her sooner than absolutely necessary. So she looked down and never met his eyes.

The problem itself was nothing they've encountered before - people were disappearing all over the place, reappearing elsewhere, in the wrong time and place. Displaced, the Doctor said. It took him a while to figure it out - or maybe he just pretended for her sake, so they could have a proper adventure together. Rose couldn't let go of the unsettling notion that this was his way of saying goodbye. She didn't want to dwell on it though. She was grateful for all the time spent together and had no desire to upset the delicate balance they managed to achieve since he came back. Four days ago now.

Weeping Angels, the Doctor called them. Rose didn't quite know why they terrified her so, but every time she was left alone she had the most unsettling, creepy-crawly feeling that something unbearable was about to happen.

She could feel the chill creeping up her spine at that very moment, fear filling up her every cell, paralyzing her muscles. She tried to ignore it, breathing evenly and concentrating on the falling snow. But the silence was pressing on her eardrums and the darkness was choking her.

She gasped and stumbled backwards, remembering the number one rule too late: don't blink. Rose found herself staring at an angel's stone face, merely a few inches away from her own when she opened her eyes again. She screamed so loudly her ears rang for a solid minute afterwards.

"Calm down, Rose, just relax. Don't blink and then it won't move. The Doctor said so. Don't blink and it won't hurt you."

The sounds of her own voice gave her some measure of confidence and she was able to even her breaths out once more.  
The situation did leave her with a conundrum however. If she had to keep staring at the angel how was she going to let the Doctor know that she needed help? Her pride didn't allow for screaming his name. Not yet anyway. There'd be no question of him taking her then - stupid ape indeed, standing in the garden completely useless.

She tried to kick-start her brain, come up with something clever, but the sharp teeth and long claws in front of her face made it very difficult. The stone face filled her with such terror that her knees shook and her breath came out ragged once more.

The wind picked up too and her eyes were stinging, tears pooling on her lashes and she knew she wouldn't last much longer. Her back was against a wall, so leaving without having to turn her head was out of the question. She tried to feel around with her hands, but all she touched was solid stone in both directions.

Her eyelids started trembling, the muscles in her entire body were cramping up to keep her from closing her eyes and she felt her control slip. It would only take a moment, but that would already be too long.

"DOCTOOOOR!"

She jumped at her loud cry, but managed to keep herself from blinking. The tears were flowing freely now, sobs echoing in the otherwise silent space.

"Doctor, help! I need you! There's…," she swallowed "there's an Angel here…"

The world was spinning and she was at the end of her rope. She couldn't keep her eyes open much longer.

"Doctor! Please, Doctor!"

She was going blind, it was too painful to keep staring and she couldn't see anything anyway, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep it up. Her eyes closed.

Her whole body filled with terror - sheer, pure, undiluted terror - and she felt like suddenly she was made out of stone. It only lasted for a few moments before she made herself open her eyes.

Rose screamed again.

She was at the end of her rope in a whole another way now. She was hanging from a barrage balloon, thousands of feet above London, in the middle of a German air raid. And if that wasn't bad enough, she had her Union Jack t-shirt on that she got from her mum.

What had she gotten herself into?


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Noel. Fifth installment in my drabble series in which Jack takes Rose to New York for Christmas. And an uninvited, although most welcome guest appears._

It was Christmas Eve. They were standing at the top of the Empire State Building, staring down into the sea of lights below. She was blinded. The tears came unbidden and she turned her head so Jack wouldn't see.

She was supposed to be happy. He brought her up here to bedazzle her, to bring a smile to her face and make her forget her sorrows. And here she was crying…

"Hush now, Rosie, it's going to be alright! We're going to fix that ship and we'll find your Doctor. But please don't cry tonight. It's Christmas! We're at the top of the world! What more could you wish for?"

Rose gave him a watery smile and snuggled into his side. Jack Harkness may have been a con man, but he also had a heart of gold. The fact that he could get out of all the tight spots without much difficulty also endeared him to Rose, but it wasn't hard to see through his light hearted charmer-act to the man beneath. And she liked what she found there, even if it wasn't what she expected at all.

She didn't think they could escape the gas-mask people, but Jack teleported them out. There was a moment of panic when he disappeared and for anyone else it could have looked like he left her. The thought didn't linger for more than a second in her mind though - she trusted Jack, even if she didn't know him yet. And he did get her out in the end. His spaceship got both of them out.

True, they did not solve the problem itself, and that left both of them a little uneasy, but she was almost entirely sure that the Doctor would arrive there before long and make things right. As he always did.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the new flood of tears and hugged Jack tighter.

"Thank you. I really appreciate what you've done for me. Today, the barrage-balloon save, getting me out from the hospital…" Her voice died down and she sniffled.

"Just… Thank you."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, looking down at New York below them.

"Anytime at all, darling. Come on, I brought some champagne."

They drank and he danced with her, mischief sparkling in his eyes, lights dancing on his face and Rose thought she could fall in love with him so easy.

Except… There was the Doctor.

Always the Doctor.

Like Mickey said.

And suddenly she couldn't.

He must've seen it because his smile turned from flirty to warm, and instead of the kiss he'd been leaning in for he nuzzled her hair and spun her around so she was looking down at the city once more.

That's when she saw it. A little dot of blue, fading in and out of sight. If she strained her ears she could almost hear the strange wheezing sound the Tardis made…

She was at the elevator faster than she could say "Doctor" and was already shouting for Jack to get himself moving.

"Is it him? Did you see him?"

"No, I saw his Tardis. His… erm… spaceship."

Jack stopped in his tracks, looking puzzled, "I saw no spaceships. Is his one invisible too?"

Rose laughed and shook her head, "You'll see when we get there. It's a bit hard to explain."

And with that the lift doors opened and she was off, running to the Tardis once more.

He came for her! The Doctor came back for her! There was no question this time. He couldn't have come for anything else!

She'd tell him how she felt and wouldn't let him go without her. She'd make the Doctor take Jack on board too. Adam was a very bad idea, but the Captain was different.

The Doctor, her and Jack: Team Tardis. She giggled out loud as she imagined how the Doctor would roll his eyes at her name choice. _You're not calling us Team Tardis, Rose._ But she'd make him like that too!

Jack smiled at the look on Rose's face and attempted to keep up, but it was impossible. It was like she grew wings - which she had, he supposed, in a manner of speaking. That girl really loved her Doctor! Well, he knew it before, but it was blindingly obvious now.

Jack couldn't wait to meet the man who had his Rosie so enthralled. When she became "his Rosie", he didn't know, but as soon as the thought struck him he realized it was true. He swore to take care of her, somewhere between spotting her hanging onto that rope and teleporting her back to safety on his ship. And he wouldn't stop now. He just hoped this Doctor of hers would understand.

It was bound to be an interesting meeting either way…

As Jack rounded the corner and saw Rose dashing towards a blue police box at the end of the street, he slowed down to a trot and started whistling. The sky was clear and the city was abuzz with Christmas cheer. Surely, nothing could go wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Write something that's new to you. Sixth installment in the series. In which the Doctor has trouble finding Rose, and meets with our favourite red-head._

"Oi, watch it!"

The woman had a scowl on her face unlike any the Doctor had seen before. And that was saying something since he was known for scowling a lot. Which was untrue, if he might add, but reputations had a way of misinforming people.

He mumbled an apology and was ready to dart down the street when he heard her muttering something about the angels.

"What angels? Have you seen them too? Do you know where Rose is?"

Now the woman seemed truly indignant, "Are you barmy? What angels? Do you think there are angels flying around on the streets of London? And who's this Rose?"

"No, not real angels. They are sculptures - well, they look like sculptures - made out of stone."

"So you're saying I should have seen stone angels walking around in the middle of the night in the suburbs? Just how thick are you, mate?"

The Doctor shook his head and left her muttering about nutters and late night walks on the sidewalk. He jogged down the street and rounded the corner. He was at the end of Lincoln Road and had only two more blocks to go before reaching the Tardis.

He was rummaging through his pocket for the key when he heard it - a shrill, ear-splitting scream slicing through the still night air that sent a cold dread creeping into his bones. He was back to the corner at Lincoln where he left the woman faster than he could say "gravity satellite". The Doctor was about to cry out that help was coming when something solid crashed into his chest and he was knocked flat on his back.

"Ouch. Oi, watch where you're going!"

He was talking to a brown leather jacket and flurry of red hair, some of which ended up in his mouth as a result.

"Really?!" As the woman lifter tossed her hair out of her face the Doctor realized it was the same red-head he was talking to earlier.

"Well, what was it then? Have you seen them? The Weeping Angels?" he asked as they both got to their feet.

"Oh, I've seen them alright," she huffed, indignation clear in her voice once more. The Doctor wondered whether there was any time at all she wasn't annoyed…

"Weeping Angels… What kind of a nutter came up with that?"

"Well, they hid their face in their hands and…"

"Oh yeah, I've noticed. And then they grow fangs and claws in the blink of an eye and tower over you! I mean, just what are those things? And what do they do with people? The man who was standing there," she pointed to the other side of the street where there was nothing save for a lone streetlamp, "just disappeared. They don't eat you, do they? I mean, no one can eat you that fast."

Her voice was quieter now and the Doctor realized the shouting was a self-defence mechanism. He didn't like it any better though. He didn't have the patience for this right now.

"All in good time. Which way did they go?"

"How the hell should I know?" Shouting again! Did she never lower her voice? "I wasn't gonna stick around, was I?"

"Human!" The Doctor exclaimed. "You can be so useless sometimes."

"You're saying that as if you're not human."

"Well, I'm not!"

"What are you then?"

They were face to face by now, staring each other down, steel blue eyes boring into muddy-green.

"I'm a Time Lord, thank you very much, and not a stupid little ape!" He was shouting now too, but the woman didn't take a step back like he expected her to. "And an angry one at that, so I suggest you don't cross me."

"Oh, is that right, Spacemen? Well, I may not be some Lord, but you're sure as hell not gonna tell me what to do!"

The Doctor paused in his feverish search for the angels and looked at her properly for the first time. She was clearly furious - eyes ablaze, cheeks red, hair wild, chest having and lips pressed tightly together in a pout. But she was also standing straight and not backing down, not letting him get on the high horse. As much as the Doctor didn't want to admit it, he was impressed. Smiling, he said, "What's your name then?"

"Donna Noble." She was clearly taken aback by his grin.

"Well, Donna Noble, I'm the Doctor and I'm looking for my friend Rose. Maybe you could help me."

She took a step back, the expression of fury on her face melting into shock, then surprise, then something entirely more softer before it settled into a smile of her own.

"Yeah, I think I could do that."

"Fantastic!"

And with that the Doctor took her hand and they took off running down Lincoln Road and towards the blue Police Box parked two blocks away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** _Written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - Sparkle. Seventh installment in the series. In which the Doctor and Rose meet again in New York, but their reunion doesn't go as they'd hoped. Also, just a heads-up that this story is nearing its end. There will be a couple of more chapters coming, but it's very near finishing._

Her eyes were sparkling. Amber and honey and gold and caramel all dancing in a mad flurry of lights as she ran towards him; tongue between her teeth, blond hair flying behind her like a marching flag.

She was happy. For the first time in what seemed like years (when in fact it's barely been more than two weeks), she was truly happy. Light, joyous, running-on-the-wind free, without a care in the world other than returning to the Tardis; and he thought they were finally back to what they've been before he took her home.

But then she stopped abruptly, nearly falling over, the lights in her eyes dying in a blink, her tongue beating a swift retreat to the depth of her mouth. Her lips curved downwards and pale crystalline tears of hurt rolled down on her cheeks faster than his mind could follow.

Before the Doctor could open his mouth, she turned and ran. He wanted to go after her. He really did. But his legs wouldn't move. His hearts wouldn't beat. It was like losing her all over again and it hurt more than the Doctor could have ever imagined.

 _Not again._

 _Not like this._

He faintly registered his knees hitting the ground, Donna calling his name from the Tardis behind him, and his brain finally provided with an explanation.

"She thinks you're already over her, dumbass!"

The Doctor smiled sadly and grumbled to himself that his brain started to look frighteningly like a red-head nowadays.

 _Donna Noble, you're fantastic, you are!_

That's what he said to her more often than not during their week spent together in his time machine. He tried to say it like he didn't mean it - catching him off-guard all the time, the infuriating little ape was - but she saw through him easier than Rose. And that was saying something.

He squirmed under the attention, didn't want to put all his faults on display to yet another stranger-turned-friend, but Donna smiled in those moments, and quieted down. She stopped yelling and took his chin in her right hand, looking him straight in the eye, telling him: _"We're going to find your Rose, Doctor"._ And he believed her.

And now they found her, and as his companion and newly-found friend pointed out - Rose still had no idea how he felt about her. The idiot he was, he never told her, did he?

"Well, go after her, space-dumbo! She's hardly gonna wait all day for you to catch up!"

The Doctor nodded his thanks to Donna, and took off after Rose. Running like his life depended on it, he rounded corner after corner and caught up to her in all but five minutes.

He didn't want to call out, didn't want to risk startling her, giving her an opportunity to slip away without talking.

 _Sounds familiar, Doctor? You can't expect her to pour her heart out when you don't say anything!_

"Get out of my head, Donna," he mumbled to himself while taking slow, careful steps towards the street lamp under which Rose was standing. She was still sobbing quietly and the Doctor quickened his pace, not wanting to give himself away, but intending to end her suffering as soon as possible.

He was barely ten feet away when a man in a long military-style coat burst out from the side-door of a pub. He stood in front of Rose for only a moment, then enveloped her in a tight embrace and started whispering soothing words into her ear.

The Doctor felt as if someone had poured ice into his veins. He was so close, so close, and it had to end like this. As the pair walked away slowly, he leaned against the brick wall behind him, looking up at the Empire State Building and scowling at its lights, as if it were to blame for his misfortune.

He turned his head and whispered quietly, desperately, praying to all the deities he could name that she would hear, but with a leaden certainty sitting in his stomach telling him that she wouldn't, "Rose Tyler, I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** _This was written for the Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme: A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Eighth installment of my drabble series in which Rose attempts to drown her sorrows in liqueur with Jack and the Doctor makes a surprise appearance.  
_

 _Apologizes for taking so long with the update, as some of you may know there has been largely ship specific prompts on TPP this past month which didn't include NinexRose. I was also rather busy with my other writing projects. But we're back now to weekly updates._

He was a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that Rose knew she'd never figure out. Having sobbed her heart out to Jack already, her head was beginning to clear, the pain she felt giving way to emptiness.

Maybe she wanted it too much. Maybe it was never meant to be. Her and the Doctor. She could pick Jack. Charming, flirty, smiling Jack, with a golden heart and a steady hand.

Rose looked over to him - they were sitting side by side in a near empty pub, nursing a glass of mulled wine. He was handsome, he was smart; fun to be around and he cared about people. Genuinely cared, even if he sometimes used his charm to fool others.

Not for the first time, Rose though that it would be easy to fall in love with him. They could run off together in his spaceship, travelling all over the world, all across different times and see the endless stretch of space around them. Discover things. Help people.

She could still do that, even without the Doctor. Hadn't she been telling herself that this was the reason she was so upset when he took her home? That he showed her the stars and now he wanted to drop her back to the ground, clipping her wings. Only it wasn't the real reason, was it?

"You really do love him, don't you?"

Jack's eyes shone with something she could only describe as starlight, as he took her hand and kissed it softly.

She smiled sadly, and felt her heart shatter. She did love him. But she tried so hard to hide it. Even from herself. He wasn't her boyfriend. He was much better than that. But he also wasn't hers. All those time, travelling with him, she was under the illusion that they belonged together. Now she knew she was wrong all along.

Sipping her wine, she lay her head down on Jack's shoulder and tried to hold back the tears.

"You know, if he's as fantastic as you always describe him, he'll come after you."

Rose snorted into her drink, then sniffled.

"He _is_ as brilliant as I said. Doesn't mean he'll care enough to come."

"Rose, he is a fool if he doesn't run after you. And by the Agency, if he doesn't come here in the next 30 minutes, I'll go after him myself and drag him back to you."

"That won't be necessary."

Both of them whipped their head around, wine glass slipping out from Rose's grip and spilling the liquid onto her dress. Her quite expensive dress, as Jack pointed out when she unwrapped her Christmas present.

For a moment, everything stood still. A man in a leather jacket with piercing blue eyes stood in the doorway, a woman with flaming red hair and a stubborn chin beside him, staring at the blond girl in the gold sequined dress, and the man in the military coat beside her, who was still drinking his wine lazily.

Then Rose stood up and took a few hesitant steps towards the Doctor. At a non-too-gentle nudge from Donna, he followed suit. Reaching the middle of the pub, they both stopped, looking at the ground awkwardly, Rose shuffling her feet, the Doctor fidgeting with his pockets.

"So…" he drew the word out as long as he could, still not looking at her.

"So…" she bit her lip and tried to catch his eye.

"Oh, just kiss already!" the red-haired woman rolled her eyes at them and went over to the bar table to join Jack.

This made the Doctor look up, if only to scowl a little in Donna's direction.

"Can we talk?" he asked finally.

Rose released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding and nodded, a shy smile appearing on her face.

"Talking sounds fantastic."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** _Well, here it is, the final part of my drabble series Can't Do It. Thank you all for sticking around and going through this journey with me. I hope you'll enjoy the ending. As a side-note: this failed miserably at the drabble part. As always, your kudos and comments give me life and inspire me to keep writing, and as such are much appreciated. If you enjoyed this series, please, please take a moment to share your thoughts._

 _Also, I started another drabble series, in case you'd like to read more. It is in a separate verse, so it has no relation to this story, but you're welcome to check it out. It starts with Silence and currently has three parts, but is rapidly expanding._

"Let's play a game, Doctor."

He looked up, a storm swirling in his eyes, ready to argue, ready to bolt and run, but Rose knew she couldn't let him. Not this time. It was now or never. Game over. For better or worse, this needed to end.

Holding up her hand, she carried on, "A game where for once we tell each other the truth."

When he looked down and retreated further into his leather jacket she felt tears burning her eyes, her throat suddenly too tight to breathe, and she sought his eyes with a desperation she never felt before.

He said let's talk, sat down in the furthest corner of the pub and never said a word. After searching his face for minutes, Rose finally piped up, but her suggestion didn't seem welcome.

Reaching out and catching the Doctor's hand in hers, she swallowed hard.

"Doctor, I…" she let out a shaky laugh. "I really don't know how to do this. I…"

But it was no use, the tears were threatening to overflow again and she felt conviction give way to sorrow. Gasping, she let go of his hand and turned away.

"Rose…"

"No! Just…" she huffed and turned back, anger shining through the tears. "Why did you leave me Doctor?"

He opened his mouth, then shut it again, trying to find the words, trying to make sure she understood, but they wouldn't come. With a deep sigh, he buried his face in his hands.

"I know I hurt you, Doctor when I said…" Her voice gave out and she had to take a couple of deep breaths before she was able to continue. "When I said I don't want to travel with you ever again. I know it hurt. And I'm sorry. I really am."

When her voice cracked once again, the Doctor jumped up from his seat and pulled her to him, letting her hide her face in the crook of his neck, slowly rocking them back and forth, tears shining in his eyes too.

After her sobs quieted, he smoothed down her hair gently and took a deep breath.

"I love you, Rose."

Her gasp and sudden movement away from him made the Doctor flinch and he was about to take the whole thing back when he recognized the expression in her eyes.

Hope.

It was hope.

He fidgeted a bit with the buttons on his jacket, finally settling for putting his hands in his pocket and looking intently at the floor.

"Doctor?" came Rose's tentative voice.

"Rose… I…"

"I heard you the first time; I just want to make sure I didn't misunderstand."

With a heavy sigh, he sat down.

"I know I haven't been fair to you by dropping you off, not by a long shot. But the truth is I was selfish. I was so very selfish from the beginning. You healed me, Rose." Blue eyes met hers finally, love shining out like she'd never seen before, and she couldn't help but smile and take a step towards him.

"You made me want to live again and I thought that wasn't possible anymore. And how did I thank you for it?" his voice was bitter now and Rose stopped before reaching him.

"I took you on adventures that endangered your life and showed you things that gave you nightmares, that caused you suffering. When you said I should have helped I… You were right. I should have. Don't think I don't hate myself for leaving. But I hated myself even more for hurting you. That's why I took you back. So I couldn't hurt you again. Apparently it didn't work so well."

She took his right hand in her left and reached up with the other to put a finger on his lips, shushing him.

"You shouldn't hate yourself, Doctor. I know why you couldn't go back. I wanted to save them, I still do. And I was so very angry and sad and hurt. You were the only one there and I lashed out. I'm sorry. But you can't take the responsibility every time I'm hurt. It's not your fault."

Sitting down, she didn't let go of his hand as she leaned closer and whispered, "I love you too."

She saw his eyes widen in disbelief and smiled before closing the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. The kiss was sweet and gentle, a brush of tongue against barely opened lips, a promise sealed that they wouldn't be apart ever again.

Rose smiled again as they came apart and rested her forehead against the Doctor's. His eyes fluttered open slowly, and something new was shining there, something that Rose had never seen before, not like this, not fully, not permanently. She gasped when she finally realized what it was.

Happiness.

A laugh bubbled out of her, joy overflowing in her heart. It was joined by the Doctor's as he lifted her up and twirled her around.

"Finally. Me and the Captain here thought you'd never get to the kissing," the red-haired woman walked over to them.

"Well, he's a bit daft," replied Rose with one of her tongue-touched grins.

"Oi!"  
"Well, Doctor, I have to agree with Rosie there," chimed in Jack.

"And who you might be?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, at your service." Jack bowed a little and both women grinned while the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"I guess he's comin'?"

Rose's grin widened and she nodded.

"Right, let's be off then."

He was already halfway out of the pub by the time Rose realized the red-head was offering her hand.

"I'm Donna Noble by the way. Since space dumbo forgot to introduce us…"

"Rose. Rose Tyler. And you've already met Jack."

The former Time Agent was about to reply when they heard the Doctor's voice from the entrance.

"Hurry up! It's freezing out there. I mean… New York in January, honestly. You got yourself another pretty boy, Rose? Can't go two centuries without you picking someone up!"

As the Doctor continued to grumble the three of them looked at each other with matching grins and ran after him.

Maybe shouting at him wasn't such a bad idea after all. He did admit he loved her in the end. It just took a few different centuries, two or so continents and the Weeping Angels to finally get him to admit it.


End file.
